My First Year in the Association of Latin American Students
Joining a student organization may seem daunting at first, especially if you are doing something that you have never done before. I largely stuck with the student organizations that I am a part of because of the welcoming environment created for all members and a place to learn and make mistakes.
In my first year at Tufts, I was selected to be a “Freshman Representative” for the Association of Latin American Students, or ALAS. The representatives shadow members of the executive board as they work on social events, collaborations with student organizations from Tufts and other universities, and find ways to bring the Latine community together. The first-years are primarily tasked with setting a vision and presenting ideas for our end-of-year culture show and a couple more standing events.
Our culture show has food, dance groups, games, and live music, which can seem really daunting for two freshly-minted first-years to put together. It definitely became daunting at times, especially as the date of the show grew closer. My co-representative, Katalina, and I spent many hours finding colorful decorations, reaching out to Latine dance groups and performers, and working on a performance slideshow and a senior slideshow.
I found that asking questions about past events, our budget, and other smaller details to other executive board members was helpful in relieving stress and sharing the load. They were more than willing to help; many of them shared their own experiences with creating the culture show when they were first-years.
This year, I am the vice president of ALAS, and my co-representative is one of the co-presidents and my best friend at Tufts. In my view, being on any executive board can give you a lot more than a resume bullet point or a good interview soundbite, it yields years of strong friendships, lived experience for future years of event programming, and a community you can find comfort and help in. You will never be alone when you join a culture club.
Photo Credit: Association of Latin American Students Executive Board